br>I'm wondering about making up the entire range of oakley panels (the metal work, not the electronics!) and keeping them in 'stock', in the interest of becoming a quick and easy source for them.

...but that's a fair bit of effort at this end, so id like to do some "market research" first.

Is this something that you think would be a good idea? They would be the black, 3mm parts - Tony's standard design, same as you would buy from fpd.

I'm not sure though - do people use the engraved panels, or do you use printed ones?

As i say, I'm happy to make up the entire range, but its a fair bit of work, and im not sure if there would be any interest - hence me asking here!

Thank you.

ps. this style of panel (& yes, i know its not the greatest photo) -

(etc) br> br>

br>eljay

br>I get all my panels from Schaeffer (.fpd) files as supplied by Tony and amended as required (personal customisation) using the free front panel design software also provided by Schaeffer.
These panels are of excellent quality and are normally delivered within a fortnight, they are relatively expensive, approx £25-£30 for a 1U panel but you tend to get what you pay for in my experience. I've also designed my own panels in the same format and style for non oakley modules to give a consistent look and feel across my cabinet.
I personally appreciate the ability to be able to customise the panels and/or design my own in the same format so would want to retain that capability rather than a standard 'off the shelf' solution, however as with all things cost could well be a deciding factor.

Now if you could offer to do customised 19" rack enclosure front panel at a decent price you might have a niche market in the UK. The quote I got from Bryant was obscene so I compromised using a laminated printout stuck to the front. It's ok but not to the same standard as an engraved panel. br> br>

br>julian

br>Hi there,

You asked about 19" panels, but im unsure what you mean?

Do you just mean this sort of stuff -

..or something else?

Cost wise, a 1u part from me that would cost, say, £35 from fpd generally works out about £25 from me, as a 1-off.

If there was reasonable interested in me stocking the entire range, it would be nice to get 1u panels to the £20 ish mark, which would be a really good saving over fpd, but then they would no longer be customisable, as they would just be pre-made, and sold off the shelf.

It seems like a good idea to me, but i just need to make sure i dont make the entire range, and then have to move the same panels around the workshop for the next 5 years until they sell! : ) br> br>

br>mumblinstevedubya

br>Hi Julian,

I would be up for buying panels from you for all of the Oakley range.

Are these printed or CNCd?

Thanks

Steve br> br>

br>julian

br>Hi Steve,

My work at present is all CNC, but, once i get the new workshop sorted, ill get the printing stuff out of storage.

I dont know how long youve been arround, but, years ago, an american chap, who im struggling to remember the name of, used to do printed blanks for the oakley system.

These were a "drill yourself" job, but they were cheap, and nice. They could be an idea also.

...but this thread has been open for about 4 months now, and you are the only the second person to reply, which probably answers my initial question! : ( br> br>

br>mumblinstevedubya

br>Hi Julian,

CNC is what I am after!

I have spent the last 6 years or so building my own synth saving money by making my own panels.

I have tried the anodising/screen printing/paperface/laminated paper!
Now, I would really like some CNCd panels to tie the synth together.

Just looking at the prices on Schaeffer is making me want to turn back to DIY!

Oakley 1U panel (SVCOB)- £37
Oakley 2u panel (VCO) - £43

Not sure if putting a price list on this forum is illegal but surely that is the way to test the water?

PM me with some pricing and lets go from there!

Cheers

Steve br> br>

br>julian

br>Ok.

When i said "silk screen" though, i did not mean a low end diy style job.

Eg, my exposure unit is one of these -

They are about the same size as a medium size chest freezer, and you could buy a car for less money.

But if you want CNC engraved, that's no issue. Its much easier to balance stock with CNC.

Tony's designs are normally fairly minimal. They dont use all the scale mark etc. of other design, and work out cheaper to CNC as a result.

As an indication, I normally charge about GBP 23ish for one of Tony's 1u panels. br> br>

br>Blake Smith

br>So far, I've put all my Oakley modules behind Bridechamber panels, but I'd be interested in an alternative. Not all of the Oakley range has a panel available in the Bridechamber/MOTM style. For example I'd be interested in a panel for a Sample/Slew, Flanger, HVM, or Fourmix. The minimal Oakley graphics would suit me just fine. br> br>

br>Leverkusen

br>I built quite few modules with schaeffer panels cause it was nice and easy to start with.

I recently then switched to full diy all panels. It's a bit more work doing the disign and the "low end diy style" screen printing process needs some practise but I find it to be fun and very rewarding to make the whole thing by myself - plus it is dirt cheap... br> br>

br>julian

br>I had a bit of space, and cut this vco panel -

...but its just not a great idea at all. I seem to remember someone saying that 5u sales were dwindling, and, i guess, realistically, the low traffic here seems to support that! br> br>

br>kecked

br>I burn my panels in wood using a laser cutter and then put a strip of copper tape on the back as the shield and ground plane. Works very well. Much cheaper than steel and silkscreen. Even works for 19” rack fronts. The kind of wood doesn’t matter but I separate teepees of modules by wood color. For example sources like vco noise are in cherry while filters are in maple and modifiers like adsr in walnut. Etc.... br> br>

br>Leverkusen

br>

kecked wrote:

I burn my panels in wood using a laser cutter and then put a strip of copper tape on the back as the shield and ground plane. Works very well. Much cheaper than steel and silkscreen. Even works for 19” rack fronts. The kind of wood doesn’t matter but I separate teepees of modules by wood color. For example sources like vco noise are in cherry while filters are in maple and modifiers like adsr in walnut. Etc....

Sounds nice - I would love to see a picture of it....at some point I thought about building a wooden 5U system too but then never did it. I actually don't know why. Maybe because I already started with black metal and wanted to keep it consistent. br> br>

br>Bodo1967

br>Unless they are provided with the kits anyway, I saw and drill panels from anodized 3 mm sheet aluminum. I then print the layouts on self-adhesive inkjet foil, spray it with waterproof clear varnish, and *bingo*.

The prints (4 sheets in this case, since the total size exceeded German A4 by far) are carefully aligned and attached to each other with adhesive tape:

Then they are cut precisely:

And, after attaching the foil to the aluminim, the edges and holes are cut out: